NYU

Awesome, awesome show. Congrats to Axel on winning the Rumble! Although I did know it was going to happen already.... And congrats to Drek Stone! Made AJ Flaire say I-Quit. W0W~!~! I'm going to leave more feedback in the next few days. And unlike the other promises I've made, this one is actually genuine. Promise.

What an idiot he was for wanting to follow his dream. Damn the man for having a dream and wanting to follow it. Damn him, I say. This is a runabout conversation, and it always degenerates into exactly the same argument. Someone is inevitably going to say that Brock Lesnar ran out on a company that desperately needed him as a top heel on Smackdown at the time. Someone will then return that claim by screaming that Lesnar had to face Hardcore Holly for the title only two months before, and was only going to get squashed by the Undertaker in a few months -- despite the fact that we have no solid idea of what WWE's plans were for the upcoming Lesnar/Taker feud. Someone will say that Lesnar is an asshole for leaving WWE to try and start a career in the NFL. There will be someone else that says Brock was merely trying to follow his dream, and he shouldn't be blamed for trying to see if he could find success in another field. Then, we will see the counter to that argument when a new addition to the conversation says Brock should have never signed such an extended contract anyway if he eventually had plans to try his luck in professional football. If you're allowed to leave your contract on a whim to try a completely different career, then what exactly is the purpose of a contract anyway? Someone will say they don't care to see Brock back in WWE since he doesn't even love professional wrestling anyway. Another person will say love for the sport has nothing to do with success. As long as Brock can still put on a good show, he should be welcomed. To return that claim, someone will simply cite the name "Goldberg." They will be told this is a completely different situation. The conversation will go around and around. Eventually, the discussion will become heated with people throwing out such barbaric insults like "jerk", "moron", and "idiot." And, in the end, it will just be a rehash of the other thousands of Brock Lesnar threads we've seen around these parts. These would be reruns if they weren't already new episodes. Simply put, if the contract says that the no-compete clause is to last until 2010, and Brock Lesnar signed that contract knowing exactly what the stipulation was, he should be forced to stick by it. If that was always to be the deal, then I don't see what there is to discuss. It's a shame he shot himself in the foot by signing such a contract, but you live and learn.

Frig is good at bullying people to do feedback. This is going to be one of my ultra-short off-the-top-of-my-head feedbacks, so here we go. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD: Liked the interaction between Calvin Szechstein and The 70s Guy. Frigid's been hyping up his opponent to me for weeks now, but wouldn't tell me who it actually was. It wasn't until he slipped up on Wednesday night that I figured out for sure it was Calvin. Either way, I liked the stuff here. I've wanted to see Calvin make his return for a while now, and helping boost the credibility of someone like 70s Guy is a good way to do it. Breaking the disco ball over Calvin's head was a good idea, and it should become the 70s Guy symbol or something. Frig's always been great when it comes up to the strangely hilarious plans, and I'm sure Calvin will have no problems keeping up with him. Good stuff. Good to see Ken's bringing one of his characters back to the show. Ken's a cool guy, and I'm sure writing stuff with Josie should be fun, so.....yeah. The stuff with Tha Puerto Rican and Panther continued to build my interest in their feud. Like I said in the AnglePalooza thread, I think both these guys could plan an intriguing angle with each other. Hell's Hitmen vs. FrankenSteiners was good, if not only for typing out the lyrics to "Hit Me Baby One More Time" in huge, red letters. The match itself was good too. What else can I say? J. Arthur Edwards is tha coolest~! Showed them suits who's boss, he did~! Felt the beginning interview with myself, Hoff, and Adam came off strong. The segment later on with Hoff and Axel served a good purpose in showing that the two are now solidified together -- at least for the time being. While I'm at it, cute segment between Zack and Crystal, with Axel interrupting at the end. I liked some of the barbs exchanged between the two. "Bitch, you can't get your muzzle fitted here" is a line I see myself using sometime. I'm sure it will properly flatter the ladies. The stuff with Phenom was definitely decent. When it comes to your writing though, you do need to flesh it out a little more. I'm not saying to do it to the extent of some others around here, but some more description is needed to really make the segments effective. Entrance description is one. It's a chore to write, but it does make your stuff look better. Have Phenom or Devin interact with the crowd as they walk to the ring. At this point, are they fan favorites? Are they heels? You should at least give us a hint by showing us their reaction to the crowd. And I don't really know WHY these guys are aligning together. If you're forming a major stable like this, there needs to be a motive. And obviously, attacking other people's characters without their permission isn't cool, but I'm sure you've heard enough of that already. Phenom, you've definitely shown an improvement since your first day writing here, but if you improve some of the stuff I keep telling you to work on, your writing really will look a lot better. Really good TV match between Zack and Crystal. Lots of fast action in this one, with an ending that continues to add INTRIGUE~! between Crystal and Axel. For all the time crunching Zack continues to do, he managed to find the time to write an entertaining match, so props for that. EXCELLENT Main Event between Black T and Chicks Over Dicks. The Zack Malibu and Jim Ross commentary was pure gold. This match just had an epic feel to it, with Chicks Over Dicks continuing to play those scrappy underdogs that you absolutely can't help but cheer for. They continue to be hilariously fun during their interview segments, and they can just carry it out in the ring. Some of the sequences in this match were off the chart. I mean, from the near-fall following Dan Black's flying headbutt, it was all just non-stop thrilling action. The nearfalls were believable, Zack's cheating added some real tension to it, and the interference with GPX was handled so nicely at the end. It took Zack out of the match, but didn't take the important win away from CoD. I know Tony sometimes says he feels inferior in writing when compared to myself, Zack, Hoff, Papa, etc., but that opinion is just silly when he could churn out an excellent match like this. Great, great stuff. If I forgot anyone, I apologize ahead of time, but I think I did well anyway for not looking back to the show once while I type. Good stuff this week everyone.

Tawren is looking absolutely ridiculous in this thread. I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull off a Titanic spoof. Lita could be floating around on a piece of drywood in the ocean as Kane clings to hang on. She'll begin crying about never letting go but, sure enough, she does. Kane begins sinking into the water as Lita looks on and sobs. But dramatically, he'll shoot his hand up out of the water and fire pyro will go off around the two of them. There's so much they can do with this "WrestleMania in Hollywood" theme and, for the most part, I'm actually enjoying it so far. Even if they don't necessarily hype up a card that hasn't been made, or an event that doesn't even need any hyping up at this point anyway.

WHAT A LIAR!!!

Come on. Would you really eat cookies that came from those 2? And for those that are interested, the full article:

I liked the Calvin/70s Dude stuff. More feedback forthcoming.

Oh, you are SUCH a bastard.

But it was done in a LOVING context, so that means it's okay. Feedback coming SOON!! Not tonight. But soon!

My super segment is coming. Is it possible to put it in the opening slot?

I'm worried this thread is going to get too much traffic and shut the board down as a result.

This is the worst birthday thread since the one dedicated to Deon a few months ago.

Well, I promised feedback so, for the first time in a while, I'm actually going to deliver! -First off, HUGE props to Papacita for doing the AnglePalooza graphics this month. I've always loved the prematch graphics for the PPVs, and I really feel it adds an important touch to the shows. I've noticed they haven't been so frequent in recent months, so it was a great thing to see them back again. I just hope Papa, or if not him than someone else, continues to do them. -Nice segment with Alfdogg and Caboose to start things off. Of course, I haven't been around long enough to really know the issue here, but the tension made it fun. It definitely had a nostalgic feel to it. And, of course, any segment that mentions my name gets an automatic A+ already. -The preshow stuff with Schiavone and Ventura was great! Another somewhat underappreciated aspect of a PPV that lends it a real sense of importance. I enjoyed the rundown of all the matches, and the tournament announcement with Watts at the end. Like the match graphics, this is another part of the show I do not want to see just disappear The Original Elite vs. Chicks Over Dicks -- Nice touch during the match with the fans screaming comments at the wrestlers. I liked the story told here with Black having to do all the work, while Zack simply screamed stuff at the referee from the ring apron. Chicks Over Dicks looked like real stars here. This match MADE them in a way that no other match had before. They just seemed to have Zack and Black's number at every turn but even when they didn't, they had the strength to kick out of huge nearfalls. The School's Out nearfall being one of them. Very good opener. -Drek Stone's promo was AMAZING STUFF!~! -Good segment between Popick and PRL. It really made me believe POPICK COULD WIN THE LETHAL RUMBLE~!~! Or not. Either way, there was some good interaction between Popick and PRL. I like the partnership the two have formed as of late, and the now-obvious PRL/Panther feud looks like it could be a very good feud heading into AngleMania. But, unfortunately, unlike Alfdogg's segment, this section didn't mention me by name. So it loses a million points. Fine, otherwise. Phenom vs. Devin Geddon -- Fun 24/7 Title match between these two. Definitely some hard hitting action between both superstars, and some nice hardcore spots too. I do have to admit that this match has made Phenom's character a little more difficult to grasp. I've always thought of him as a huge monster-like figure. But suddenly, he's pulling out quick dropkicks and top rope moonsaults. It's important to figure out just what kind of style he has. I'm genuinely interested with the ending here with both men becoming co-champions of the federation. I look forward to seeing where Rando and Phenom go with this next. -Enjoyed the segment between Calvin Szechstein and Mr. Bone. Just an all around well-written piece. Hopefully, I've made the right connection with assuming this is just some Nickelodeon conspiracy. Calvin having to hype Spongebob and Dora the Explorer, while having Mr. Bone as his boss. Hopefully, Bone doesn't mess with Calvin's permanent record or anything......nice stuff, nonetheless, and it's good to see Calvin is starting to get back into the swing of things. The Saints vs. The New New Midnight Express -- Short and sweet match. Good action throughout the whole thing, and I REALLY enjoyed the ending with the original Midnight Express interfering for their proteges. It's also a great angle developer, leaving people questioning whether Cornette had a role in that or not. Good stuff. -Nice interview with Stevens to show, despite the hell's he put Hoff through in recent weeks, he's actually still intimidated by him. Hoff looked like a badass here too by even furthering scaring Stevens. It set the stage nicely for the cage match later on. Leon Rodez vs. Zack Malibu vs. Chris Bryte vs. Panther -- Interesting beginning with Bryte simply shoving Zack aside to get to Rodez. I liked Zack's increasing feeling of worthlessness as the night went on, and that shove only further reinforced that fact. Really good Triple Threat action between the three at first. I've always felt KC and Papa were two of the best people in this federation when it came to writing an enthralling match no matter the circumstances, and this only proved that concept. Panther's entrance during the middle of the match was just handled extremely smoothly. Like I said, excellent stuff here and an impressive title defense for Leon Rodez. Hollywood vs. Candie -- Five Minutes in Heaven? Interesting stipulation and a great way to write a short match without actually making it SEEM short. If that made any sense. I liked all the nearfalls in the match since it really gave the contest a sense of urgency, and the finish was an especially hot sequence I liked reading. I wasn't really surprised it went to a five-minute draw, but I was surprised to see Candie come so close to winning it. I suppose a rematch is in the works now, which is just fine with me. Hoff vs. Chris Stevens -- OFF DA CHAIN! Loved the appearance from Tazz at the beginning. What can I say? In my opinion, excluding the Lethal Rumble match, this was the Match of the Night. Oh, and my match of course. But that goes without saying. Great silver fireworks for Hoff's entrance too! Really thrilling, fast-paced match. There was so much anger between Hoff and Stevens here, and it perfectly captured the hostility the two have shown towards each other throughout their entire feud. The Future Shock off the cage wall at the end was unbelievable too. This was a breeze to read through, and it was just FUN the entire way. -AngleMania IV at Trump Plaza?! OMG WHAT A SHOCK! Drek Stone vs. AJ Flaire -- MATCH OF THE YEAR~! Er....MATCH OF THE MONTH~! BEST MATCH EVER~! Feel free to add any more hyperbole here. The Lethal Rumble -- Ah, here we go. First off, Hoff and Adam did an EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT job with this. Having never written a Royal Rumble match before, I'm sure it's a difficult thing to write while keeping it interesting the entire way. Well, both of you managed to do it here, so major props for that. I really enjoyed the buildup at the beginning with certain people giving their interviews. It had an Old School vibe, and it added some hype to the rumble that we should have seen more of in the past few months. Some personal highlights for me: -The Mad Cappa mentioning he wants to win the Rumble since he's beaten Drek Stone more than any other guy in the federation. Bastard.... -ALFDOGG~!~! -The Mad Cappa and Tha Puerto Rican having their personal showdown -The return of J. Arthur Edwards. Genuine shock there. Wonder if it means LPYC is back now.... -Showdown between hated rivals Axel and Brock Ausstin -Zack being a complete bastard and eliminating Dan Black -Axel accidentally knocking Crystal off the apron -The Final-2 fight between Zack and Axel -Axel's performance overall. He just looked like a real contender here. The Rumble was DEFINITELY memorable, and Adam and Hoff really should be proud of what they pulled out here. Loved all of it. Well, there we go. To fulfill my feedback whoring for this post, any more feedback on Drek Stone vs. AJ Flaire would be HUGELY appreciated. It's really good, honest. I spent my entire Sunday writing that thing up before the deadline, so it HAS to be good. And that's it. Excellent show everyone and an awesome way to kick off 2005. P.S. - HOFF NEEDS TO LEAVE BEFF BAK!

It's in the Home Entertainment folder.

Putting the finishing touches on Drek/AJ too. Give me a little while.

If you have the date I can look to see if i have it. September 3rd, 2001. The entire buildup around the Van Dam/Austin match that night was perfect. Between Austin screaming he'll kick the ass of the next person to walk through the Alliance door - with everyone screaming for it to be Van Dam - and the actual upset in the match itself, it was all just handled really well.

JoeDirt, it's not as if it's an old clip or anything, but do you happen to have or know how to get the RVD/Austin match from Smackdown in late-2001? It's something I've been wanting to see again ever since it aired, but I've just never been able to track it down on the Internet. Good thread. Some of the stuff here really makes you nostalgic.

"The Godfather" by Mario Puzo was an amazing book. Somehow, it managed to be even better than the movie. "The Last Don" by Puzo was good as well. Not quite up to the standards of "The Godfather", but still a good read once you get past the slow beginning.

Quoted for emphasis.

.....is this a yes? I'm a little slow, is all.

Nice. Not extremely likely, but nice. Exactly how involved do you think this simulator is?

I need someone to volunteer their all-important and oh-so-established character to me this week. Is there anyone that would like to heed the call? Only criteria: Needs to be a heel. It could mean a slot in the Main Event!! Doesn't that get your blood pumping now?!

But will they lose in the first round of the playoffs yet again? Only time will tell.